Living together

More and more couples are choosing to live together and share their lives without getting married. And whilst emotionally, you may feel no different to a married couple; under the law, couples that live together without getting married do not share the same legal rights as those who marry. This can make things difficult if the relationship breaks down in the future particularly in regards to finance and property. And if children are involved, it’s important to protect their future too.

So even if splitting up is the last thing on your mind right now, it’s sensible to plan for the future by creating a living together agreement (sometimes called a cohabitation agreement). This will give you the peace of mind that however your relationship may change in the future, both people will be legally protected. You’ll know where you stand and if the worst happens and your relationship does break down, the legal implications will be one less thing to worry about.

We’ve helped lots of couples create living together agreements. Many people find that it’s much easier to form this agreement whilst in a strong, loving relationship rather than dealing with the consequences of a complicated break up at a later date.

We understand that every couple is different and so we’ll take the time to get to know you so that we can draft an agreement that reflects your own circumstances. It will protect both people and detail your responsibilities in the event of a break up. With the agreement in place you can get on with your life, with the peace of mind that every eventuality is planned for.

At QualitySolicitors Lockings we explain everything in plain and simple terms, answering any questions you may have and making the process easy to understand. We also offer free, initial over-the-phone advice and will explain the costs and timescales involved up front so you always know what to expect.

For confidential, friendly advice about living together agreements contact us today on 01482 977 925.

Expert legal advice you can rely on:

Family law

In today’s modern world there is no such thing as an ‘average’ family or ‘normal’ relationship. You may be married, living together, or separated. Children, step-children or adopted children are perhaps living with you or living elsewhere. Grandparents or other family members could also be involved. Whatever your situation, relationships can sometimes break down and that’s when turning to a family solicitor can really help you to resolve difficulties quickly.

Arrangements for children

When a relationship breaks down and children are involved, your main concern will be to protect their wellbeing. So it’s good to know that at QualitySolicitors Lockings we make your children our number one priority too.

Care proceedings

If authorities become concerned about the safety or wellbeing of a child, the local authority may start a process known as ‘care proceedings’. They may also make a care order for the child which means that the local authority will have responsibility for the child, making decisions about their welfare – such as where they live and who cares for them.

Change of name

Children in care

If you are the parent or relative of a child who has been taken into care, you’ll naturally want to be sure that they are being well looked after. You may wish to challenge certain decisions that are being made about the child’s welfare or you may want to make arrangements to have more contact with the child.

Dissolution

When a civil partnership or same sex marriage breaks down, you may decide it’s time to end the relationship and go your separate ways. Just as with divorce, there is a particular legal process for ending a civil partnership - often known as civil partnership dissolution.

Divorce

If you’re thinking about divorce, it’s good to get legal advice as soon as possible so that you know what your options are. From there, if you go on to decide to file for a divorce, it’s natural to have lots of questions about the process. You’ll want to know what impact divorce will have on your home, possessions and finances. And if you have children, you’ll want to know how to make the right decisions for them too.

Domestic violence

If you’re in a relationship that isn't working for you, either because you feel threatened or are with a violent or abusive partner, it can be difficult to know where to turn to for help - but it’s important not to suffer in silence. Asking for help is the first step to resolving the situation.

Living together

More and more couples are choosing to live together and share their lives without getting married. And whilst emotionally, you may feel no different to a married couple; under the law, couples that live together without getting married do not share the same legal rights as those who marry. This can make things difficult if the relationship breaks down in the future particularly in regards to finance and property. And if children are involved, it’s important to protect their future too.

Separation

Making the decision to end a relationship and separate is rarely easy and sometimes you may need professional legal help to ensure the separation process is handled fairly. Whether you’re facing a marriage separation or are ending a relationship after living together, it’s likely that you’ll have lots of questions and concerns. You’ll want to know what will happen regarding your home, possessions and finances. And if children are involved, you’ll want to ensure that their wellbeing is the main priority.

Your local legal experts

Why QualitySolicitors?

QualitySolicitors is the largest network of law firms in the UK, with local law firms spanning the whole of England and Wales and customer service at the heart of everything we do.

We are dedicated to providing the highest quality legal advice and expertise for our customers, but in a way that’s far friendlier, more accessible and clear-talking than you might expect from a law firm.

With us, you’ll always find our lawyers are friendly and approachable.
That’s why we promise you that as our client, you will always be given the direct phone and email details of your lawyer – making it easy to get in touch.

Have you ever wanted to just ask a lawyer if they can help you, without worrying about what it may cost to contact them? If so, call QualitySolicitors and together we can work out what your next steps might be... in confidence, at no cost and with no obligation.
At QualitySolicitors, our Free Initial Assessment promise puts you directly in touch with a local law firm who will happily talk to you for free to clarify how they can help you.

Using a solicitor doesn’t have to involve any unexpected costs.
We promise to confirm the full costs you can expect before we begin any work and keep you informed throughout.
And we won’t start any work until we know you’re happy with our estimate.

Need a lawyer who’ll get in touch when they say they will and not leave you in the dark?
Good news – we promise to you, our clients - call or email us by 3pm, Monday to Friday and you’ll hear back from us the very same day. And if we can’t give you a full response straight away because your question needs further investigation, we’ll always let you know and give you details of exactly when we’ll next be in touch.

QualitySolicitors law firms know that when you need to meet with a solicitor, finding time during office hours can prove impractical. So we thought we’d help by offering flexible opening hours; simple!

If you are a customer of QualitySolicitors Lockings and we have contracted with you online you may be entitled to use the EU Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Platform to assist in resolving any dispute with us. This service can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/odr.

Our email address is info@lockings.co.uk

QualitySolicitors is a group of modern, progressive law firms providing legal advice for individuals and businesses with over 100 high street locations. QualitySolicitors firms are independent law firms that share the aim of providing clients the highest standards of legal expertise combined with exceptional customer service. QualitySolicitors Lockings is a trading name of Lockings Legal Services Limited registered in England and Wales company registration number 09244568. Lockings Legal Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (Main Office SRA ID number 626081). A list of our directors is available for inspection at all our offices. Use the following link http://www.sra.org.uk/handbook/ for online access to the current professional rules applicable to solicitors. All calls are recorded for training and quality purposes.